#But ancient can only breed with the same species

[octyfish]

Sometimes when I play FR I name my dragons after FNAF beans. Always on the lookout for more too

[hazard-symbols-that-fuck-hard]

Fun fact: almost all of the apples you eat are clones!

You see, apples have extraordinary variety in their phenotypes. Just like dogs, their fruit can vary so much that it’s hard to believe that they even come from the same species.

Except unlike a dog (where if you breed two boxers together, you’ll get another boxer), apple genetics have so much variety that every single seed planted will sprout into something completely new (and likely foul-tasting).

Even if you pollinate an apple tree with its own pollen, enough genetic re-combining will happen so that the resulting tree will produce fruit that is absolutely nothing like the fruit of its singular parent.

This makes apples (and other tree fruits) extremely difficult to selectively breed, so almost every single apple variety simply… isn’t selectively bred! Almost all apples, save for GMOs, were basically spontaneously generated by nature and simply propagated by humans.

But how do you propagate a set of genetics that doesn’t grow “true to seed”? Easy.

You graft.

Plants, unlike animals, are eager to accept any marginally similar flesh as their own.

You can cut off a branch of a tree (or a stem of almost any plant), affix the branch of a different tree (called a scion) over top the newly-created wound, and the base tree (called the rootstock) will heal them together and incorporate the new branch into its vasculatory system.

Not only will a tree willingly incorporate tissue of any member of its species, many trees will also take on the tissue of other species!

If it’s done while the tree is young enough, you can get a tree with very sturdy roots AND nothing but perfect apples from the waist up.

Grafting is the oldest form of cloning. It’s an agricultural practice with evidence of practice as far back as 2,000 BCE

Could you imagine if animals were like that? You could just stick something on and it would just work?

(I can’t help but wonder if ancient people ever tried grafting livestock together after seeing that it works with crops)

[witchthewriter]

𝐁𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐱𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐞

From this poll, this series is born!

a/n: the dragons are able to shift into human-like beings. Taking 'bonded' to a whole other meaning.

This whole post is 18+. No minors. 🧿

ᴹᵃˢᵗᵉʳˡᶤˢᵗ | ᴹᵃˢᵗᵉʳˡᶤˢᵗ ᴵᴵ

𝑳𝑶𝑹𝑬:

graphic picture ahead -

In the days of Old Valyria Blood Magic was used to create the dragons species by a dragon hybrid choosing a mate. The hybrid had to be in a morphing form into his dragon form. Therefore, creating the dragon spirit that would fill the womb of his human mate.

・Hot-headed, overprotective and showing his animalistic side...always... like a dog with a bone, he will not let anyone touch you, nay; he will not let anyone even look at you too long.

・You often think that the human part of his shift could come out more prominantly, but it just doesn't.

・You do have to remind him that he isn't allowed to kill anyone in his path, that there are rules in human society that are vastly different to the ones in dragon culture.

"Bloody ridiculous, all of it."

・In human form, it's too obvious he isn't human. (Well, yes that is the same with the rest of those who can dragon-shift, but Caraxes cannot let go of his dragon side while human like the others can). It doesn't help that his eyes seem to glow all the time, on his face are tattooed runes from Old Valyria, long thick red hair, darkened lips, pointed ears and extremely large and obvious horns protruding from his head.

・Oh and he was the tallest man you had ever seen

・Standing at 7 feet tall, you thought Westeros had in fact been overrun by some sort of alien creature.

・But no. All dragonshifters are over 6'5 feet. Any less and they are considered still in childhood.

・The first time you saw his human form, you thought he was the most handsome being you had ever laid eyes on.

・A flurry of words that constantly contradicted one another: graceful yet aggressive, mysterious yet direct, there was a pull to him. A pull so ancient that you thought you might die if you didn't follow it.

・And Caraxes was used to ancient authority (he actually hates authority) but still...he knew he needed to listen this time.

・Still an outsider as a human - but he doesn't care, not when he has you.

・He knows how to do Valyrian braids, and loves when you sit on a pillow in front of him while he sits behind you. Humming, which turns to singing - an Old Valyrian one that only mates sing to one another.

・Loves giving you gifts; absolutely showers you in them.

・Caraxes is a shifty, silver-tongued character who is also a big dumbass once he's not playing into the intimidation role

・CONSTANTLY LOYAL AND WILL SQUARE UP TO ANYONE AND EVERYONE.

𝑹𝒆𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑 𝑻𝒓𝒐𝒑𝒆𝒔

"Caraxes, No." (You) x "...Caraxes Yes..." (Him)

Commits crimes (Caraxes) x Accessory to crimes (You)

Tough on the Outside, Soft on the Inside Kinda (Caraxes) x The Top (You)

𝑹𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒄 𝑷𝒍𝒐𝒕 𝑻𝒓𝒐𝒑𝒆

Challenging Social Conventions

Soulmates

Saw You, Instantly Decided You Were His.

𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒎𝒆 𝑺𝒐𝒏𝒈

The Devil & the Daughter by Daniel Pemberton

To Bring You My Love by PJ Harvey

The Sails of Charon by the Scorpions

𝑁𝑆𝐹𝑊 🔞 No one under the age of 18 past this point, makes me feel weird if you read it.

・Caraxes loves to hear your moans, especially when it's his name. He wants it loud, louder, louder. Pouding into you, drunk on your body.

・Then he ends up being just as loud - and then he gets so absorbed by you that he cannot make a comprehensive sentence

・His favourite positions are the ones where you're closest.

・"Just like that, keep going. Keep going beautiful."

・Caraxes loves praise, both giving it and receiving it. He does feel lonely; he would never admit it verbally. But ends up showing it in different ways. Such as this.

𝑺𝒆𝒙𝒖𝒂𝒍 𝑻𝒓𝒐𝒑𝒆𝒔

"you're so tiny and i dont want to lose control." (Caraxes) and "idc and im gonna taunt you until you break and ruin all my holes" (You)

Breeding Kink

Cockwarming - whines when he can't be inside you. Only you've heard his whines. I swear he would kill anyone else if they heard it.

art credit: https://www.instagram.com/p/C9w5Gd2PiFM/

A/N: This is all my own headcanons and ideas, it's not canon - George hasn't released a lot about how blood magic works, or how the dragons came to be. So I'm ... taking creative liberties. If you have a different opinion then that's cool too!

[weaselle]

listen.

the problem with generative AI isn't that it exists. It's how it's being used. Just like GMOs

The same way that GMO organisms could include corn (was a grass similar to wheat before humans bred it into the corn of today, which is incapable of growing in the wild without people tending it) or sheep (zero sheep evolved into sheep in the wild, they all started as goats that humans turned into sheep through intense breeding programs)

Generative AI could include the "therapist" program that could (kind of) hold a conversation that i interacted with briefly out of curiosity in 1993, or the "gibberish machine" program that my brother used to use to write essays with when he suspected his high school teachers weren't really reading the essays they graded (this program wrote sentences that followed all the grammar rules of english, but made no actual sense when you read them)

and the same way GMO crops can be (and have been) used to do things like save entire starving countries, generative AI can be used for great things too.

The problem isn't that generative AI exists and is used, the problem is that there is no good regulatory laws for it and therefor giant immoral companies are using it in heinous ways

like iphone updates that automatically opt you in for sharing all your photos on your phone with AI learning programs that allow companies to do things we're not sure we like, such as being able to tell exactly where you are on the planet from the shadows being cast in any photo it sees. Or entertainment companies using it to undermine and topple entertainment worker unions.

Just like the problem with GMO crops isn't that they exist but what General Mills and Coke are trying to do with them, the problem with generative AI isn't that it exists but what Disney and Google are trying to do with them

And we really really need to stop having a knee-jerk reaction of "generative AI is the DEVIL" and start getting really specific about what we do and don't like about the way it's used because that's the only way we'll get the regulatory laws we need

Like even differentiating between generative and other kinds of AI seems to fall outside most people's willingness to actually think about what AI is.

Because (non generative) AI is used for things like diagnosing cancers that we can't detect in other ways, and sequencing ancient human genomes to discover how many species like neanderthal have contributed genes to our modern existence.

And even generative AI can be a great tool for all our benefit.

The issue isn't that evil AI exists and is bad.

The issue is that neutral AI exists and is so new that it's easy for big companies like Apple and Fox Entertainment to misuse it in ways we hate

And the way forward is to be specific about the ways we hate, so we can get laws in place that prevent AI from being used that way.

AI is like any other useful tool we've ever had. Just like fire, it is too useful for too many things to just hate outright, you have to be focused on things like "let's make it illegal to light other people and/or their belongings on fire" and "let's say you have to follow safety laws about when and where and how you can have a campfire" etc

It's not going away, so we'd better get focused on the controls we want as soon as possible. The longer we sit around yelling that AI is evil, the longer we go without the regulations we need, because you can't make a law that just says "AI is evil"

end rant

[hedgewitchgarden]

By: Lauren Diaz

The Appalachian mountains share their story with us in many forms, beginning from their wise and weathered peaks, through their towering forests, and down to the rushing roar of their rocky streams and rivers. Many of these clear, mountain rivers are inhabited by the cryptic and awe-inspiring Eastern Hellbender. Truly a living fossil, the hellbender has existed for millennia and yet sadly it has been quickly disappearing over the last century. The Hellbender is a lonely species; it is the only giant salamander in the western hemisphere, as its cousins live in China and Japan. An ancient creature that is hardy enough to withstand thousands of years of flooding and drought, Hellbenders were once abundant even in the mainstem of the Ohio river. Unfortunately, they are now being lost at an unprecedented rate, and for many reasons we don’t understand.

Although many factors implicated in the Eastern Hellbender’s rapid decline are large scale — urbanization, removal of riparian tree cover, siltation, and pollution — there is one simple issue that every one of us that recreates in the Appalachians has control over: the moving of rocks in these streams to create dams, chutes, and rock statues (also known as cairns). The rivers where we still have healthy hellbender populations, such as those within the Pisgah National Forest and Great Smoky Mountains National Park, are the same rivers that are receiving an extraordinary rise in human use. While the hellbenders are holding on for now, the very real possibility of loving these rivers to death is just around the corner.

The Hellbender relies on the spaces under river rocks for their homes and to find their favorite food: crayfish. They share these spaces with the stoneflies and caddisflies that feed the iconic rainbow trout, as well as a variety of other small fish, mussels, and salamanders. Most importantly, they require cavities under large boulders to breed. Hellbenders lay their eggs under these large boulders in early fall, and then the male Hellbender will stay in that cavity protecting the eggs and larvae until they emerge in late spring. Moving rocks around in streams disturbs the delicate homes and breeding grounds of these enigmatic mountain species.

Cairns are a recent phenomenon, and their ubiquitous presence in national park and forest rivers is undoubtedly tied with the rise of social media. You have surely seen a picture of one, probably accompanied with a quote about balance. You may think, “there’s no harm in making small ones if they only use boulders!”, but in fact small rocks are important habitat for larval and juvenile Hellbenders. Plus, just seeing one cairn in a river (even with tiny rocks) encourages others to make them too, despite nearby signs asking visitors not to move the rocks. Dams and tube chutes not only make large boulders unavailable to Hellbenders, but they also slow down water flow and essentially make pools of dead habitat. This slow, silty water can no longer support the needs of the unique species that require swift, cool, well-oxygenated water. Silt accumulates in the pools above and below rock dams, and that silt fills in the spaces that hellbenders need to live and reproduce. Moving boulders for any of these uses has the potential to crush any animals living underneath them, including hellbenders.

The motivations behind moving rocks are innocent. But the consequences for the rare species that rely on a very specific kind of stream substrate are damaging and permanent. Some hellbenders will spend their entire lives (up to 30 years!) living under one rock. We ask that when recreating in hellbender habitat, please keep in mind that you are a guest in their home. Respect the forces of nature that put each stone in its perfect place and the millions of years of evolution shaping these stream systems so that every insect, fish, and salamander can live in perfect harmony.

For more information on hellbenders, check out these resources on the article page.

[reality-detective]

The Vatican: Human Trafficking Hub

The Vatican Underground- Cleared

The Dulce Base- Underground Cleared

The Area 51 Underground Base- Cleared

Orion Group ❌ (Defeated)

Ciakharr Group ❌ (Defeated)

Killy Tokurt Group ❌ (Defeated)

These are the three main factions responsible for the

The CIA is connected to the Killy Tokurt Ops. They are the one who specialize in soul scalping. This is how our government leaders were replaced. Removing the light body & soul and replacing it with a physical vessel void of any connection to source.

Sherry Shriner covered this in many videos/audios. Megan Rose spoke about this in one of her books. Corey Goode is also another source who spoke on the caste system of the Ciakharr who are the top elite in their race.

Remember when I mentioned that people were not ready once they found out who have been eating the children? Guess what was the capitol for the "Child Sex Trafficking" breeding hub?

The Vatican.

Do you remember the story or report that came out in July of 2019 where thousands of bones was unearthed in two ossuaries discovered in the Vatican City, as part of an ongoing search for clues into the disappearance of a 15-year-old girl more than three decades ago in 1983?

Do you remember the mass grave full of baby bones found along the shores of Israel's Mediterranean coast, in the ancient seaport of Ashkelon in 2014?

Do you remember An Indigenous group said the remains of as many as 751 people, mainly children, had been found in unmarked graves on the site of a former boarding school in Saskatchewan?

As a matter of fact that was a 2,300 page document that leaked that verified Pope Francis’ cover up of a Vatican Pedophile Ring. Did you know 20 Chilean Priests who went public on their connection to that very same Pedophile Ring, were killed in a plane crash right after their meeting with Pope Francis?

Back on July 20 2014 the International Common Law Court of Justice in Brussels found defendants Pope Francis Bergoglio, Catholic Jesuit Superior General Adolfo Pachon and Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby guilty of rape, torture, murder and the trafficking of children. (Nothing Is Happening?)

I highly doubt it.

Two adolescent women told the ICLCJ Court that Pope Francis raped them while participating in child sacrifices during the Springs of 2009 and 2010 in rural Holland and Belgium. According to a former employee of the Curia in Rome, rapes and murders of children also took place at the Carnarvon Castle in Wales and an undisclosed French Chateau.

A Prosecutor introduced notarized affidavits by eight others claiming to witness these same crimes organized by the Vatican. Another witness testified that they were present during meetings with the then Argentine priest and Bishop Francis and the military Junta during Argentine’s 1970′s Dirty War.

According to the witness, Francis helped traffic 30,000 children of missing political prisoners into the Vatican Pedophile Ring.

Do you know why this has taken so long? If you knew how vast these underground tunnels are you would understand why certain EOs signed by D. Trump kept getting extensions.

The Military at some point will disclose the battles that went underground.

The weapons used.

The strategies used.

The entries/exits used.

The medical technology used.

The portals/gateways that were used.

You got a glimpse of this during the fight that went on underground with the Phil Schneider lectures that still can be found on YouTube about the Dulce extraterrestrial confrontation that resulted in lives being lost and him being scarred from it.

People are only looking at the human aspect of this process. They are not looking at this as governments officials serving a unknown species that want world dominion who is an entire different secret government whose base are in these DUMBS-(Deep Underground Military Bases) who control all of our 3 letter agencies who are middlemen/conduits who these covert species use to control Washington. 🤔

Julian Assange

[ozzgin]

Hope you’re doing well! Just read your monster writer fics. I love the idea, it’s so hilarious to imagine a monster having a human kink. Beat what if the reader is also an author? And author who writes monster fucking stories! I could just imagine them working together. Helping where the other is curious/lacking knowledge. They could write a companion series where one book is the monster’s pov and the other is human pov all for the same interaction. Oh! Or what if our little human is being hired to write a very intimate book about a different breed/species of monster, how would our writer monster respond/help? Just such a fun idea to play with!

In my attempt to connect some of the stories together, I came up with the idea that the Monster Author is a frequent guest at Monster Hotel. And Reader could be working at the hotel as a way to make money on the side, because their published books aren't quite at the same level of popularity yet.

Both write monster-human smut. They have no idea about each other. The Monster Author is a scattered airhead, too absorbed by his writing to notice anything around him. He is completely oblivious to the multiple fliers and brochures advertising a human employee. He leaves manuscripts and unfinished pages all over the room, which are then sorted and cleaned by Reader, but the handwriting is too atrocious to decipher. Reader has no idea what all that paper is about.

And then, it happens. The hotel hosts a small award ceremony for creative writing, featuring old-timers and promising newcomers. The two main winners for erotic romance are Monster Author and Reader.

"We'd like to congratulate our own (Y/N), for being not only an exemplary employee, but a talented writer as well", the manager announces.

The Monster Author is mildly curious about this mysterious hobby artist. Reader climbs onto the stage, and the dots finally connect. They stare in disbelief. To think they've been folding the sheets of their favorite writer. The ancient Beast returns their shocked look. An actual human? They had an actual human under his nose, this entire time?!

He immediately begins to devour Reader's books. Fascinating. This demands a collaboration. No, a permanent partnership. Reader must quit this silly job at once, there are ideas to be uncovered and stories to be created. He insists. He would be more than glad to help Reader elaborate on monster...particularities. He can even demonstrate it himself, if Reader would only allow it.

[natequarter]

BRAXIATEL: I hear nothing other than an intelligent, well-connected student wasting her time, and mine, trying to fight the inescapable. Come on, let’s head back. I’ll tell whichever dreary Cardinal that is no-doubt waiting for us that I took you on a… field trip, and we got lost.

ROMANA I: Why?

BRAXIATEL: Why what?

ROMANA I: Why get yourself into trouble on my behalf?

BRAXIATEL: Because you remind me of... someone I used to know. Hotheaded, arrogant, self-assured… They used to call me the Icicle during my terrible time here. What do they call you?

ROMANA I: The Ice Maiden.

BRAXIATEL: [Chuckles] See? Things never change.

***

A renegade and exile from the Houses in the Pre-War era, he was part of the first generation of the Homeworld to produce renegades: indeed, he may have been spawned by the same flaws in the Houses’ breeding-engines which produced was part of the first generation of even more legendary transgressions like the Imperator Presidency and the Grandfather of House Paradox. But while the Imperator led a crusade in the name of military conquest, and the Grandfather seemed to have a rather more philosophical agenda for subverting the ruling Houses’ authority, the young War King was a bored, amoral outlaw, dedicated to his own desires above all else, meddling in the affairs of the lesser species for no other reasons than power, personal gratification and perhaps even casual amusement.

[...]

He was notorious for hiring, manipulating and seducing a variety of lesser species, many of them mercenary or megalomaniac in nature, and it’s possible that it was through his association with them that he became aware of the imminent War… the first step in his gradual (and quite legal) rise to power.

***

ROMANA: I am Romanadvoratrelundar, mortal heir to the House of Heartshaven, inheritor of the House of Dvora, and custodian of the House of Everston, and I command—!

***

In the brief period before a species loses its interest in its evolutionary surroundings, it’s relatively common for societies to be categorised as tribal, and for the ruling body to be seen as either an alpha-male among primates or as a dominant predator among lesser animals. While for the Great Houses such ideas have mostly been forgotten, a number still cling, oddly, to House Dvora: the House of Devouring Hounds.

This isn’t a metaphor for a House at the top of the food chain, a rare, vicious, rampaging beast. It’s an emblem of controlled, concerted, voracious power. Neither gauche nor hide-bound, the members of House Dvora look out across the landscape of the Homeworld from the comfortable position of an established pack predator. They are not careless. They are sombre, they are sane, they are pre-eminently practical. What they grip, they hold. When not deployed in the field their personas are icy, untouchable and ironic, but they can when necessary adopt any passion.

It’s not surprising, then, that it may be the House which exercises the greatest real power.

***

ROMANA: I am aware that my policies have not been entirely favourable with you all, but Gallifrey must not fall back on itself and become insular. We have the greatest knowledge of time in this part of the galaxy, and we must not be seen to create a monopoly. That only isolates us from those cultures who are capable of using time responsibly. So, I will not step down as President, despite these deaths, despite the opposition to my ideologies, because that is a regressive step for Gallifrey. We cannot linger in our past or, regardless of how much we know, time will overtake us. [...] I have thought about this long and hard, and to me, it seems the only way forward. As is my right, as is stated as ancient edict in the Book of the Old Time, I, Romanadvoratrelundar, claim the title of Imperiatrix of Gallifrey and declare my rule as such to begin immediately.

DARKEL: [Laughing] You cannot claim yourself Imperiatrix. It is a legend from the Old Time, nothing more. There’s no legality upheld in that title! Will you, the High Council of Gallifrey, ratify this? The ramblings of a woman mad for power? Her very bloodline desires war!

***

The Great Houses have, according to their own doctrine, observed and maintained the meta-structure of history for ten million years: a number so round that many feel it must have been picked by the Houses out of thin air, a purely arbitrary figure chosen just to suggest “a very long time”. True or not, it’s unquestionable that for aeons before the War the Houses themselves existed in a state of almost total stasis. There was no natural reproduction on the Homeworld; no death, other than the slowest, greyest and least spectacular kind; no argument, no injustice, no progress and very little actual culture. And yet around a millennium before the War began, tiny imperfections began to appear in the great status quo, defects in Homeworld society which would eventually culminate in the War itself. How did this happen?

[...]

Things took a startling turn for the worse around three hundred years later, during the cataclysmic Imperator Presidency, the first shockingly direct contact with the outside universe in living memory. House Dvora was a House of respect, its bloodline one of the cornerstones of the ruling six, and yet this seemingly reasonable bloodline had produced Imperator: the brutal, mono-maniacal God-Emperor who tore through the polite barriers between the Homeworld and the rest of history to lead a realpolitik crusade into the outside universe. He demanded involvement in the affairs of the lesser species; he demanded a pre-emptive re-forming of the Spiral Politic; he demanded that the Protocols should be ripped from the Homeworld, and that history should be adapted to suit the Houses’ own needs, particularly (it was implied) the needs of House Dvora. He actively recruited from the lesser species, not actually welcoming them into his bloodline but using them as extensions of his will, playing on their expectations that the rulers of the Houses would be inscrutable, unstoppable Gods. That he developed a cult of personality around himself wasn’t as shocking as the fact that he had such a personality.

***

WYNTER: That cannot happen. Our job goes back aeons. To change the role, to dispense with it, would take change in the law.

NARVIN: Of course. And with Braxiatel, Lebine, and the rest of the Council in her pocket, getting laws changed would be... oh, about as difficult as changing the oldest law about allowing aliens into the Academy. Think on that, Wynter.

[copperbora]

Despite being still fairly feral at thirteen years strong, my boy Casper the orange tabby floof displays multiple traits of domestication: bold white markings, long exquisitely soft hair, and an orange coat which would only ever rarely ever occur in the wild. Also, allergies.

There Was Another Domestic Cat!

I hate that I'm only now in 2024 learning about this rad 2016 cat science find (frustrating that it wasn't more publicized,); there's evidence in China that there was once a second species of domestic cat, Prionailurus bengalensis, or the Asian Leopard Cat. Fellow cat nerds will recognize that this is the same wild species that was hybridized with the domestic cat to produce the famously active and beautiful breed known as the bengal cat, however these ancient domestic cats evidenced in the study share no relation to the modern bengal. Modern domestic cats notably descend from the African wildcat (Felis silvestris lybica.)

The evidence of the domesticated version of the Asian Leopard cat is primarily wear patterns on teeth still connected to jaw bones found in China which do not show up in fully wild kitties. This basically means that these domestic cats were eating a diet which their wild brethren do not consume.

To me, the idea of a second ancient species of domestic cat is extremely intriguing and I will most definitely need to draw a concept if what these cats would have looked like with the calling card bold white markings and other domestic traits which inevitably appear in domesticated animals, as shown in the Russian Silver Fox Project which eventually produced completely domesticated foxes. It would also be very interesting scientifically to see the full ancient domestication of the Asian Leopard Cat reproduced although with thousands of modern domestic kitties in need of homes this experiment is likely never going to happen (which is for the better with so many far more suitable modern purr machines available for adoption.)

Domestication of modern domestic cats (Felis silvestris catus/Felis catus) likely took place on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus some 10,800 years ago with the cats quickly spreading to Egypt and China where they became beloved fixtures of temples, homes and palaces. Today thanks to artificial selection these kitties exist in miriad beautiful breeds and coat patterns but more importantly, modern kitties are noble, affectionate, and extremely social companions of the educated, responsible human household.

My three year old blue tuxedo cat Keplar, who spends his days playing, following me around everywhere that he can (getting very frustrated when he cannot,) chatting with me, and snuggling with his thirteen year old unrelated fluffy orange tabby brother, Casper. With a dilute gene turningwhat would've been a melanistic coat grey and bold white markings which are found only in domesticated animals, Keplar is an excellent representative of the modern domestic cat.

[petterwass]

Ho'olheyak really is quite the tragic figure once you read her file, isn't she?

For all her being very funny and her inexhaustible Bug Bunny energy, she really has been through so much, forced into a generations-long project that she never asked for, as a mere infant.

Is a small baby she was subjected to some sort of horrible brain surgery that forced the entirety of her species history into her brain and drastically cut down her lifespan, which is implied to be both very traumatic (only a infant could possibly survive it because once a child is old enough to have a sence of "self" it would have been completely obliterated along with their mind) and with incredibly high mortality (As Warfarin puts it: "I don't want to ask her how, many siblings she *had*).

All to force her to continue her family's generations-long project to restore the bloodline powers of the ancient ku'kul'kan.

While she maintains that the brain surgery does not in any force her to do this, she could if she wanted to, drop the entire thing. But I wonder how true that is.

After all, the sunk cost fallacy is real, and once you've already paid with half of your life, what choice is there really but to continue the work? To to otherwise would be to say that the price you paid was not worth it. That the price your mother paid, and her mother before her, going back hundreds if not thousands of years, was not worth it. That the goal they worked towards is not worth trying to achieve. That the sacrifice that was forced upon you has no meaning.

Which child, implanted with scenes of your people's lost grandeur and raised from birth for this single mission, could really say that they are doing it of their own free will? That they had a choice, when they were selected to pay the price for it even before they were born?

One wonders also, how this has created the Ho'olheyak we know. How different would she be if she did not have her people's history rattling around in her brain since before she could talk?

It also explains in a way, her wanting up always work alone. After all, who else could understand the importance of her mission, how everything and everyone can be sacrificed on its altar if need be, than the one who has already paid the highest price for it, and who can literally feel the wingsbeats of ancient ku'kul'kan in her mind? Who else could ever understand.

And that's not getting into her equipment, how each part of the gear she carries is intended to mimic a trait of the mythical Ku'kul'kan, how this burden she carries is literally too heavy to bear without using her arts to lighten it (her exoskeleton alone weighs over 90 kilograms. Without using her arts to lighten it, she would not be able to move). How perhaps the burden of reviving a extinct bloodline would be too much to bear for any human, except perhaps, one created for that express purpose with Arts and brain surgery, to be the perfect, or indeed, the only possible banner-bearer that could endure the weight of generations of sacrifice towards a single cause? Maybe I'm reading up much into it but the parallels are there.

And in the end, soon enough, as her drastically shortened lifespan runs out. She will breed, likely several times to endure she has backup infants (and isn't that a cold-blooded thought? "the first one might not survive, better make more") . And she will subject her infants to the same horribly invasive and lethal brain surgery as was done to her. Until one of them survives. And that one will carry on the project. That one surviving baby will bear the torch. Will burn their life from both ends.

Of her own free will.

You can probably draw a lot of interesting parallels here. Both to the greatness of multi-generational work: "I plant a tree so my grandchildren can sit in the shade", but also to continuing cycles of abuse: "This, was done to me. I will do it to my children in turn. And they to their children. And the one that survived will carry on the torch."

I don't know. I just think she's incredibly fascinating and interesting once you get beyond the first, obvious outer layer of Sexy Fucked Up Evil Snake Woman.

There's really a lot there. And I love her. She is so very much more fucked up than you initially think she is.

[galvanizedfriend]

Fic: The Unexpected Grace of Falling Apart

Summary: AH/AU. It's Tyler's wedding weekend and Caroline is back in Mystic Falls for the first time after the most traumatic and depressing year of her life. And it's about to get even worse as she's made to share breathing space with Klaus, The Worst Guy Ever. Except they might have to join forces to save the wedding, and to the discovery that things might not be what the seem. As Caroline teeters on the edge of a breakdown she'd been trying very hard to conceal, an unexpected savior appears to help her through the haze.

---

About a year ago, Caroline met the worst guy ever.

No, really. The Worst.

Men are, as a general rule, pigs. If women were to make in-depth pro-versus-cons evaluations of every guy they met before deciding on whether to hook up with them or not - well. Let's just say the perpetuation of the human species would be in serious jeopardy.

There's only a handful of guys out there of a certain age, still single, who are really worth any woman's time, and Caroline hasn't had the pleasure of meeting many representatives of that rare, dying breed. Those are the real-life unicorns.

It doesn't help that Caroline seems to be a walking magnet for the dudebro kind. She doesn't know what it is about her that gets them to crawl out of sewers and holes in hell to greet her with their Hey there, gorgeous or Have I died and gone to heaven?s whenever she walks into a bar. It's probably the blonde hair. Men tend to get friskier around blonde women for some ancient misogynistic reason.

There have been moments in her life where her faith in the male half of humanity was so deeply shaken that she even - God forbid her - considered going a few shades darker. She's a natural blonde, though, and it takes her hours (and a small fortune) every few months at her colorist's chair to achieve that perfect sweet spot between kissed by sunshine and blessed by the angels for her to commit that crime against herself. Caroline's hair is the one part of her life that has remained absolutely flawless even when everything else around her has fallen apart, including her mental health and self-esteem. She refuses to dye it just because men can't bother to put some honest effort into updating their lame pick-up lines and yet, somehow, still expect her to have sex with them.

And the sad truth is, catch her on a bad night, and she just might. Horny melancholy is where a woman’s dignity goes to die.

It's exhausting to be a twenty-something woman in the XXI century. There's the pressure of making it in this godforsaken world as an adult, there's the pressure from society's understanding that a woman of her age should be looking for serious commitment with marriage in sight, and then there's also the pressure that stems from the very human needs of her hormonal body. It's a jungle out there.

Things would be so much easier if she didn't need men at all, not even for the specific parts of their anatomy that appeal to her. She really hopes next life brings her back as anything other than straight.

In the meantime, in this lifetime... The Worst Guy.

Caroline has met her fair share of jerks and idiots of all shapes and colors, so it takes something really special to shock her. As a seasoned woman in the woes of the dating market, she can 100% state that this guy is no ordinary asshole. This is a king among douchebags. And that's not just her personal opinion; she has shared the evidence with all her friends, and the friends of her friends, and all the women at her work, and even some random people at powder rooms at bars and parties. Basically, every woman in New York's grapevine who was willing to listen.

The collective response to her tale is always a disgusted gag sound, followed by Please, tell me you punched that son of a bitch or Did you gouge his eyes out with a hot poker?

If you discount abusive, aggressive and violent men, who are criminals and not in the same category as everyday lame-ass men, he really is The Worst.

Caroline doesn't like to say she's not over it yet because it implies bestowing a level of importance to His Royal Dickshness that is not merited. The guy was a friend of a friend - her best friend, yes, but still only a notch above a complete stranger. She’d known him for less than a week and, technically, they did no more than make out for a little bit, so it's not like they had any kind of relationship going on. He's not important, just some guy who did something astoundingly douchebaggy, even by someone whose standards are sadly low.

The whole incident was bound to go down as a funny anecdote to be shared among friends, a Oh, you think you've had the worst hook-up ever? Hold my beer kind of story. Provided, of course, that she never had to see him ever and could just wipe him out of her life and memory for good. Given that they live in different time zones, it shouldn't be too much of a hassle.

That is precisely why Caroline is livid when she emerges from the arrivals area at Richmond airport to find Douchebag, in the flesh - sunglasses indoors and all, like the proper jerk that he is - holding up a sign that reads Clarisse.

Read the full story here

--

For four years, this was known as Random Fic, and so if you have been following me here, you might have heard me whine about it at some point. I've just decided on the title ten minutes ago. lol I can't believe this is finally done!

Thank you @definedareasofuncertainty for hearing me talk about this for almost as long as you've known me and never telling me to shut up.

As always, your kudos, comments and reblogs mean the world and have been feeding my fic-writing soul for four years so that I could get a grip and round this up. ❤️ Ty and if you read it, hope you enjoy it!

[snarryauctoberfest]

The Week 1 roundup can be found here.

Week 3 commences posting 14th October.

Day 5

Title: positions of love Creator: ??? Prompt: 2020-32 - Someone of your choice is producing a gay wizarding version of the kama sutra and needs to hire two wizards to model each position for the illustrations. Harry and Severus are the ones who get the job. Rating: Explicit Word Count: Artwork Summary: A few pages of a gay wizarding version of the kama sutra, starring Severus and Harry

💚❤️ Read on AO3 💚❤️

Title: Deceit and Debauchery Creator: ??? Prompt: 2024-37 Regency AU, would love if it's Bridgerton inspired. Maybe Kanthony? (unfortunately I don’t know Bridgerton that well but I hope this regency smut fest will suffice). Rating: Explicit Word Count: 13.8k Summary: Severus' curiosity as to who Tracey Davis is going to try to entrap into marriage pays off when he see's that it is none other than Harry Potter. He knows he has the chance to save his friends son from what will certainly be a disastrous marriage but what will be Severus' rewards for his efforts?

💚❤️ Read on AO3 💚❤️

Day 6

Title: She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not Creator: ??? Prompt: N/a Rating: Explicit Word Count: 11.8k Summary: There's an outbreak of Hanahaki, and Curse Breaker Hyacinth Potter is brought onto the case, to work closely with the Aurors and Unspeakable Sulpicia Snape. Snape doesn't have a romantic bone in her body, and Hyacinth is happily in love with Ginny Weasley. They have nothing to worry about...right?

💚❤️ Read on AO3 💚❤️

Day 7

Title: Saving Magic Creator: ??? Prompt: 2024-170 Time travel (how is up to you). Harry and Severus are now in the same year in Hogwarts. What year? What happens?Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Word Count: 6.5k Summary: "What do you want now, Zir?" Harry asked cautiously.

💚❤️ Read on AO3 💚❤️

Title: Mating for Life - Breeding Season in the Highlands of Scotland Creator: ??? Prompt: N/a Rating: Explicit Word Count: 3.3k Summary: “Among the ruins of an ancient castle in the Highlands of Scotland lives a human species like no other.“

Dudley watches a very educational documentary out of boredom.

💚❤️ Read on AO3 💚❤️

Day 8

Title: Flutter Creator: ??? Pairing: Harry Potter/Severus Snape Prompt: 2024-76 Apartment Life Harry's been warned to steer clear of the 24th floor. Curiosity got the better of him and Harry checks it out. Its deserted except for apartment 2444. Harry notices signs of life—a faint light under the door, soft sounds of movement. Rating: Explicit Word Count: 30.2k Summary: He said uselessly, "Sev, don't go." "I'm s-sorry-" Harry cupped Severus' face and gazed into his eyes. His eyes were dark brown, almost black, sad, raven, mine. "These stay the same," Severus said. "Remember that when you look at me. Remember, it's me.”

Flutter does my heart, When you ask me to stay. I want to live in the moment But the past keeps me a prey.

💚❤️ Read on AO3 💚❤️

Day 9

Title: Fate's Blind Date Creator: ??? Prompt: 2024-58 - Harry gets stood up but sees Severus walking along the street and invites him out instead. Rating: Explicit Word Count: 29.8k Summary: When Severus indulges himself with a walk along the West End after work, the last thing he imagines is that he will get invited to a show by a gorgeous young man. Things only get more astounding after that when their casual meeting evolves into something more and Severus finds himself pulled into a family feud that threatens to bring his dark past to light.

💚❤️ Read on AO3 💚❤️

2024 Snarry AUctoberfest Entries || HOS Tumblr || Discord

[ratsoh-writes]

Hey y’all! Meet our new Underwest characters!! And the au!

To introduce them: Underwest is a Wild West au! These monsters were never trapped behind a barrier, and lived in the deserts and plains of the surface along with humans. Conditions were harsh for every one, but they made do, creating a community of hardy resourceful monsters and humans alike!

Like the name suggests, this au is cowboy themed with a few twists! There are hardly any mammals from this au. The hot desert sun is too much for most furred critters, and certain animals like sheep, wolves and horses never evolved. But other animal species thrived! Namely the reptiles.

In Underwest there are three big domesticated animal groups: herding lizards, raptors and terror birds.

Herding lizards: there are dozens of breeds, but they’re all mostly the same. A six legged desert lizard raised for meat because of its passive nature and the fact that it can eat almost anything and survive off of little water

Raptors: domesticated and wild, not to be confused with the ancient dinosaurs. These are quadruple lizards as large as a horse with long thick legs and the energy to run for hours. They’re carnivorous and domesticated ones are used as herding animals and riding animals

Terror birds: MASSIVE carnivorous birds of prey with wingspans the size of cars. And the bane of every Underwest monster. They snatch up monsters, people and livestock and have crossed over into ebott after the crash as well. They can be tamed however by particularly skilled individuals and can even be taught to take a saddle and fly with riders.

The Underwest monsters don’t have royals as there was never a war between them and the humans in the past. Monsters and humans were divided into traveling family units, chasing water sources and only settling during rainy seasons. They’re believed to be closely related to the farm AUs due to many of the Underwest monsters having earth affinities.

Meet partner and rowdy!!

Partner (Underwest sans)

Partner is a stocky skeleton monster, aged 68 with soft lilac magic. He stands at 5’7 and has a strong thick muscular ecto that he worked hard to achieve. He has a bit of a gap between his front two teeth.

Partner is a very serious monster, he rarely smiles and hearing a laugh from him is like seeing gold fall out of the sky. If duty was a soul trait, he’d have it. He always keeps his promises, even if it kills him. While he can be grumpy and temperamental, he has a soft spot for the gentle and innocent, and is a good protector to any of his loved ones.

Partner works as the sheriff in Goldenvalley, hunting down criminals.as there’s only one police station and it’s a lot of land to cover, he works very hard at his job. On the side he also trains raptors for a bit of extra G.

He’s a very clever fighter which makes up for his rather average magic power. This is reflected in his magic weapon, a whip that when cracked, makes a loud booming noise to frighten. The whip itself doesn’t do much damage

His special ability is that he can see both up and forward. Like he has eyes on the top of his head. When he consciously thinks about it, partner can see the sky even though he may be looking down or forward.

Things he loves: leather goods and clothes, garlic, rustic belt buckles and hat accessories, artisan breads, hunting, telling campfire stories, horror novels, axe throwing, the color blue, clover flowers, country music (go figure)

Rowdy (Underwest papyrus)

Rowdy is a lanky skeleton monster aged 27 with baby blue magic. He has a think but trim ecto and is always covered in scrapes and bruises. He has a bit of a gap between his front two teeth

Rowdy is a cheerful, eager to please and clumsy fellow. He’s been rather sheltered by his mother for most of his life, so some things that may be common sense to most he hasn’t learned yet. He wears his heart on his sleeve and is a delight to be around with how affectionate he is. However he’s very gullible, making partner very protective of him.

Rowdy is partners apprentice, learning the art of training raptors. He’s not partners brother like the others but is actually his younger cousin. Their mothers were sisters. Rowdy only recently left home this last year and a half, so he’s a bit behind in the practical work compared to other monsters his age

Rowdy has very explosive magic which shows in his magical weapon, a boomerang that literally explodes on contact. Unfortunately if it doesn’t hit its target, ot explodes on him when it comes back. He’s working on fixing that

Rowdy’s special ability is double jump! When he’s in the air, he can kick off exactly once to get a second jump!

Things he loves: comedy podcasts and shows, parsnips, the color yellow, fun patterned bandanas, horseback riding, exploring new areas, pop music, line dancing, stew, orange blossoms

Side characters

Belle: the mother of rowdy and the aunt of partner, bell is a skeleton monster aged 400 exactly. Having lost her sister and husband before the crash due to sickness and a bad rain year, she was extremely protective of rowdy. Even after the crash she sheltered him, causing him to run in order to accept the apprenticeship partner offered. Partner and Belle had a huge fight over this and aren’t on speaking terms anymore

Robber: Underwest undyne, and despite the hilarious nickname, shes no criminal but is in fact another sheriff of Goldenvalley, and has a friendly rivalry with partner. She’s still new in her job and goes to him for pointers a lot as well.

Prairie: Underwest alphys, and partners closest friend. She breeds raptors and goes to him to train all of them. She owns a cute plot of land that she raises goats on as her primary source of income. Breeding raptors is a long and tedious job, definitely not something one can easily live off of.

[kariachi]

Bovid Pokemon Headcanons

Even in the wild Miltank are known for issues with hoof overgrowth, especially at young ages. Their learning of the move Rollout so young alongside their rambunctious natures means they often find themselves moving more via rolling than walking, and their propensity for bipedal stances leads to lessened wear on their forehooves. To manage this, wild Miltank have evolved over time to seek out stony areas when they struggle with walking, within which they'll rampage with as much vigor as their distant cousins Tauros and Bouffalant. Though it's recommended farmers provide stone or concrete pads for this purpose themselves, just in case, more important for Miltank owners is keeping careful track of their pokemon's hooves, as these natural behaviors can worsen other hoof problems.

Though often found in the same areas most farmers don't breed their Miltank to Tauros. Instead popular matches include Quagsire, Gogoat, Stoutland, and Mudsdale, chosen most often to promote calmer natures.

While Miltank and Tauros are related, this is a more distant connection than often assumed. The ancestors of modern Miltank split away from the evolutionary path that would lead to Tauros long, long ago, even before what would become the Dubwool and Gogoat lines split off. Tauros is actually closest related to Bouffalant out of known extant pokemon.

Where the Ampharos line falls in all this is hotly debated to this day. Popular theories include- 1) That the line split off prior to Miltank, representing a more basal form of the whole family. 2) That it split apart with Dubwool and Gogoat, then split from them prior to them splitting from each other. 3) Ampharos are actually the closest living relatives to Miltank, splitting off from them post their split from the rest of the family.

More fringe theories remove Ampharos from the family entirely, claiming it might be the closest surviving relative of the Hydreigon line, while a similar fringe theory classes it as the only extant member of a theorized ancient Electric/Dragon lineage. Believers claim the recent discovery of what some consider an ancient ancestor to Raikou supports this theory, but no accredited sources have yet backed this claim.

Whimsicott, despite what some believe, are not actually related to any of the above. The latest evidence suggests their nearest relatives are the Wigglytuff line of all pokemon, despite them having historically been placed alongside the Lilligant line.

Most Tauros in captivity are shod, as their high activity lives as work or battling pokemon wear down their hooves more quickly than they would in the wild. Blaze Breed Tauros have softer hooves than other Tauros and so are more prone to bruising, though for the same reason less prone to cracks in their hoof wall. Aqua Breed are known to have the fewest hoof problems out of the species.

Female Tauros, rarely seen in captivity due to their high levels of aggression even compared to male Tauros, are visually distinct from the males, being notably larger, with a thicker layer of fat and their forehead beads expanded into proper plates. Wild Tauros herds are often led by the females as a result.

Owners are recommended to get their Tauros and Bouffalant's hooves checked once a month, as these pokemon's aggression leads to a higher risk of damage. Miltank and Dubwool can go up to two months if watched and with low activity, while Gogoat can go as long as six months between checks (though Gogoat used for transportation are suggested to be shod and checked more frequently). Owners of Ampharos are suggested to get them checked at least once a year.

In an amusing coincidence, while Tauros and Gogoat both determine hierarchy within their herds head-to-head combat, Bouffalant and Dubwool both determine social status by fur thickness. In fact, outside of trainer battles one will rarely see members of these species fighting amongst themselves.

Tauros, Bouffalant, Dubwool, and Gogoat all will lose their hair when under heightened stress, though Bouffalant seem to be the most susceptible of the four. This is currently thought, though not proven, to be a holdover from an common ancestor who, like the Ampharos line, lost it's fur as it evolved.

Bouffalant are believed to play an important role in building and maintaining their grassland and forest environments, as their constant headbutting of their surroundings- done seemingly to mark their territory via the loud sound of their horns making impact- clears weak and dead trees from woodlands and stymies tree growth in grasslands.

The most common cause of Pokemon Center visits in Bouffalant calves is concussions from hitting targets their thin young manes can't shield against. Their amazing ability to recover from these injuries is currently being studied.

Skiddo make the top ten most commonly kept pokemon in rural areas due to their ease of care, calm and affectionate dispositions, and usefulness in milk production. Gogoat, meanwhile, aren't included in their placement due to being kept more often as a work or produce pokemon than as a pet like Skiddo can be found. In fact, in the Kalos region, Skiddo are the second most popular pet pokemon after Snubbull.

Though commonly thought of as unintelligent, Dubwool have been proven to have truly exceptional memories. For example, in a study released eight years ago twenty-six out of thirty Dubwool were found not only to recognize at least one individual they had met for approximately fifteen minutes over a decade before but to remember whether their interaction had been a positive or negative one.

Between the commonality of Thievul in their native range and their high sociality, Dubwool nest in large groups and brood over their eggs, laying low overtop of them so they can be shielded with their wool. In herds where the leader is female, the entire population can be found during nesting season forming what appears to be a solid field of wool laid out on the ground. As a result of this behavior, Wooloo eggs have been found to have the highest tolerance for heat out of any non-fire- or rock-type pokemon line.

[escapistsatellite]

zoids headcanons

NOTICE: editing this a few times for grammar and to add details that I forgot the 1st time. (⊙_⊙;)

Just some stuff about zoids worldbuilding that I've written odds and ends of on paper but haven't made digital at all yet, but probably should since I'm thinking about it.

"First contact" as it were happened much later, so much of innovation/rediscovery of ancient zoids engineering marvels was accomplished without human intervention.

Organoids: Europan organoids are theropod-like, Delpoian organoids resemble felids and canid, and in fact share common ancestors with Command Wolves and Helcats.

Zoidian diets consist of mainly vegetables, grains, nuts/legumes, and fruits. Proteins are provided by species of arthropods and fishes that are considered unsuitable for adopting as companions. This eventually leads to the development of massive, archology sized farming facilities to keep up with year-around demand. Animal-based dairy products naturally do not exist on Zi, but they do have various analogues to plant-based "milks" that are primarily used as cooking ingredients rather than drank straight. Hunting beast type zoids for food never really became adopted as common practice because the zoids' carapace plus their massive size made catching and killing them too dangerous to be practical.

Zoid reproduction: Their are 2 broad ways that zoids produce young->

1st, the Dinosaurs:

quick recap of canon: according to the Zoids Bible, all zoids reproduce when they die, which causes embryonic mini-cores to break off of the dead core and move towards water (...somehow...) and once in the water begins to grow into new zoids.

Some of this still applies, but with significant differences: all zoids have a breeding season and dino/dragon type zoids lay their embryonic mini-cores in deposits of mineral rich water containing select vital elements, no death required. In this water they go thru the following growth stages (per the Zoids Bible, pt 3):

The adults remain gathered around the area and guard the pool while their young grow. The problem is that after the planet's ice age these pools became scarce everywhere but Nyx and deep underground in scattered areas. In fact many species of dino/dragon type zoids have gone extinct in the wild outside of Nyx and depend on Zoidians and their ability to replicate the unique mineral springs to survive.

Beast type zoids: Comprised of mammal and bird zoids, these species reproduce by what is essentially laying. This cuts out the need for mineral springs and the young are quite mobile upon birth, much like ungulates on Earth, and usually develop a full set of teeth and are capable of eating solid foods within 2-3 weeks (until then they eat partially digested food regurgitated by the adults, or a nutrient rich gel excreted by special glands in their caretakers' mouths). I understand that this is pretty much confirmed by the manga, but that chapter was specifically about a specific zoid bird, I've just decided to generalize it to the whole class.

Organoids (both types) reproduce much the same way as beast type zoids.

I decided that this should be the key difference between the zoid classes because it explains how the beast class survived and why they don't need water to reproduce like the dinosaur/dragon class, which isn't really explained in the Wild Zoids section of the Zoids Bible.

Domestic Zoids: come in two broad categories.

The machine beasts that we all know and love:

And what I'm tempted to call "bio zoids" for lack of a catchier term:

Zoids that were never fully mechanized, and serve as transport, protection, companionship, etc on a smaller scale than their larger cousins. (Obviously these are the only canon examples available, but the tech for cyborg zoids has gotten more refined than this over time, becoming streamlined, smaller, and in some cases can be removed when not in use and reattached when it's time to get back to work.)

After a few centuries of divergent breeding machine beasts bloodlines naturally produce more massive, energy abundant cores and can no longer reliably produce their own bodies since Zoidians have been doing it for them for so long. (A severe drawback yes, but mechanization gave them 2 brains and they are evolving the ability to use their radios and digital wireless connections to communicate digitally without rider intervention, so...)

Some domestic zoids only exist as fully natural or partially cyborgized forms since their machine bodies have been left behind by modern technology and most of the general populace find more natural zoids easier to care for (being smaller, they need less space and since their bodies are still mostly natural mean that vet care/maintenance is much cheaper). Including all of these guys:

are just cyborg animals now.

The beginning point of zoid fuselage development begins with the above and ends with:

The fact that fully natural zoids have all their viscera compressed into a single super-organ means that they have room for much more muscle and connective tissue, so they are much stronger than non-zoid animals of similar size.

COMP Score: COMP is short for "compatibility" or "compliance" score, meaning a zoid's likelihood of accepting a revolving selection riders/pilots; the higher the score, the more likely the zoids will accept guidance from multiple people. The lower the score the harder it will be to find a suitable rider/pilot, and while they don't entirely reject Zoidian authority, but those authorities are never as respected as a truly accepted partner. Zoids are tested to ascertain their individual score, but different species have expected average scores.

This may be a part 1/2 if I end up thinking of anything else.

[brownald]

I have COVID and hate it so I decided to make a list of all the Covenant species to see if they have a dick + balls or not.

Sangheili: Sangheili are seen to have bulges in several pieces of concept art and renders. Furthermore, Henry is a sangheili seen in The Mona Lisa, who is naked. When we see him, his crotch is covered by a shadow. This implies the presence of dick. Furthermore, in Halo 5 some Sangheili have crotch armor, which would also imply that special protection of the groin is needed. Therefore, we can conclude that Sangheili have dick + balls.

Unggoy: No dick, no balls, we’ve seen them naked in every game. This calls into question Unggoy reproduction, as they are said to breed like rabbits despite their lack of external genitalia. 

Kig-Yar: Since this depends on the subspecies, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer, however there is a difference in male and female sex organs and apparently males can get aggressive during sex, turning to biting and scratching, meaning that males do hold some power during the reproductive process. Therefore, as also evidenced by Halo Wars 1’s concept art, we can conclude that the Ruutian subspecies has a dick, while the Ibie’Shan subspecies appears to be much more bird-like and has a cloaca as seen in Halo 4 concept art. The T'vaoan subspecies is basically a giant bird, so we can conclude that it has a cloaca as well. Therefore, 1 ⁄ 3 of the Kig-Yar subspecies have a dick, and the other two have a cloaca, which will henceforth be referred to as the Kig-Yussy.

Huragok: Are basically giant flying nutsacks, however they do not fuck to make offspring, instead they ‘build’ their children with a combination of mechanical parts and biomass. Therefore, no dick + no balls and probably no butthole either.

San’Shyuum: Reproduction is similar to humans, with a male and female required. Given that they give birth to live offspring, as well as the fact that ancient humans and San’Shyuum could find each other attractive, one can conclude that their matters of reproduction are similar, implying the existence of a dick. This isn't a foregone conclusion, but one can assume that given the preexisting similarities between the two species, they would have similar genitalia.

Jiralhanae: NOTICEABLY LARGE bulges in concept art for Halo Wars 2 implies there’s something betwixt a Jiralhanae male’s legs. Crotch armor can also be seen in other renders implying balls in the same vein as the Sangheili. However, 3d renders of naked Jiralhanae do not show the dick + balls (thankfully), however a shadow as well as a bunch of fur covers the crotch. Therefore, we can only speculate as to the existence of Jiralhane genitalia. It is possible that it is obscured by the fur, or that it remains inside the body until mating, at which point it exits the body. In summary, likely dick + unconfirmed balls.

Lekgolo: After scarring my eyes reading about worm sex, it turns out that there are hermaphrodite worms that don’t have dicks and worms that fuck the hermaphrodite worms with these weird little things called spiculies that aren’t technically dicks so I can confidently say that Lekgolo do not have dicks.

Yanme’e: Yanme’e exhibit no sexual dimorphism, and they’re all naked so we can see they don’t have dicks.